David Bowie was a big fan of Ron Davies and now the late country songwriters
has a tribute album – Unsung Hero – featuring tracks by Dolly Parton,
Alison Krauss and John Prine.

It will be 10 years in October since the death of Louisiana-born country singer-songwriter Ron Davies. A truly top-class line-up has been assembled to honour his fine composing skills on the album Unsung Hero: A Tribute To The Music Of Ron Davies.

Davies was only 57 when he died of a heart attack, and it's fitting that the album opens with a touching version of One More Night With You sung by his sister, the renowned country musician Gail Davies. Both were the children of singer Tex Dickerson (they took the name of their stepfather, Darby Davies).

Ron Davies, who was writing his first songs as a teenager, penned almost 600 in all, some covered in his lifetime by stars such as Joe Cocker, Joan Baez and Helen Reddy.

David Bowie was a big fan and Davies wrote It Ain't Easy for his album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust. Shelby Lynne takes on the challenge of performing that cover, and she serves up a subtle country version of Bowie's hit.

There is an interesting range of styles among the 22 songs, and the superstars do their duty very well. Dolly Parton draws out the emotion of It's Too Late, andAlison Krauss brings her usual grace to Good Love After Bad, a track that features Davies's nephew Chris Scruggs on slide guitar.

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John Prinemakes the short, sharp and witty song You Stayed Away Too Long swing – helped by the clarinet of Jim Hoke – and Crystal Gayle brings heartfelt emotion to True Lovers And Friends, which has Benny Golson on saxophone.

There are talented old stagers such as Guy Clark, Delbert McLinton, Bonnie Bramlett and Rodney Crowell on the album, as well as younger singers such as Mandy Barnett.

Davies could write wonderfully sentimental songs, and Suzy Bogguss (Back To The South), and Vince Gill and Kelly Hogan (More Than Yesterday), do full justice to two of his finest songs.

All proceeds from the album go to benefit Nashville's WO Smith School Of Music which provides tuition and instruments to under-privileged children.